LAHORE:
The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) is developing six parks for women only so they can exercise out of sight of male oglers.
The parks will have walls and grills up to seven feet high and employ women for security and maintenance, PHA Director General Muhammad Mehmood told The Express Tribune. “They are being especially designed for women who are uncomfortable using public parks,” he said.
The parks in Johar Town, Mustafa Town, Tajpura, Sabzazar, Gulberg and Gujjarpura will be completed in three months at a cost of around Rs70 million, he said. They will also have allied sports and exercise facilities such as a basketball or badminton court, a jogging track and a gym.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the women’s-only Fatima Jinnah Park in Green Town on March 25 and it has proved very popular. The park has walls seven feet high and though there is a male guard at the gate, the six guards inside are women.
“It’s a great gift for women sick of eve teasers,” said Mrs Aleem, a Township resident who was visiting Fatima Jinnah Park. “I had stopped going to parks because, whoever I was with and however carefully I was dressed, I was harassed.”
She said that she felt comfortable exercising at the women’s-only park. “My five-year-old also plays here with the other kids, so it is a good outing for both of us,” she said.
Mehmood, the PHA director general, said that the new parks had been designed by architect Rizwan Beg and would have modern architecture, landscaped lawns, canteens, sitting areas, walkways and jogging tracks. Each would include a basketball court or a badminton court and a gym equipped with exercise machines. The park in Gulberg would also have a play-area for children.
Five solar-powered lights would be installed at each park for times without power, he said. All the park employees would be women, except perhaps the gatekeeper. Entrance to the parks and use of the facilities would be free, said Mehmood.
Park locations
Block B1, Johar Town
Size: 20 kanals
Status: Work started, to be finished in two months
Cost: Rs8 million
Visibility protection: Three-foot high wall plus three-foot ivy-covered fence
Ahmad Yar Block, Mustafa Town
20 kanals
Work started, to be finished in two months
Rs7.7 million
Four-foot wall plus two-foot, ivy-covered fence
F Block, Sabzazar
24 kanals
Works started, to be finished in two months
Rs16.5 million
Al Raheem Park, Tajpura
16 kanals
Rs14.4 million
To be finished in two months
Three-feet wall plus four-feet fence
Block B2, near Ghalib Market, Gulberg III
15 kanals
Ground broken, work to start soon and finish in three months
Rs14.5 million
Three-foot wall plus four-foot fence
China Scheme, Gujjarpura
17.5 kanals
Rs14.6 million
Three-foot wall and four-foot fence
Published in The Express Tribune, September 10th, 2012.
COMMENTS (37)
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@LifeH2O: How is America the worst example of that??? I can walk down the street without being bothered. I can travel on my own without being bothered. I can go to any park without being bothered. The list goes on and on. Point is there isn't a NEED for a women only PARK and if there is then something else is wrong. As far as the culture and lifestyle there, yes I absolutely think it can go in a BETTER direction, doesn't necessarily have to emulate a western country. Pakistan today is regressing, it is not progressing. The Pakistan of the 60s and 70s did not need a women only park because things were better. Not perfect. BETTER. Furthermore, yes live and let live applies, and if women prefer a park in isolation then that's their choice. Do I still think the concept opens the door for some serious revisiting, yes. Pak keeps this up, pretty soon you'll need women only sidewalks, women only doors, women only buildings, women only roads, women only cities (yes, Saudi has already broken ground on that fabulously modern idea), and the list goes on. Why don't we create a women only planet?
If I am allowed to say some more here, the liberals should stick their 'live and let live' policy on this topic too. If many women go to women only parks, let them do that.
@nobody Do you really expect that in our culture/environment, where no law (government or religious) is practiced, men and women can be taught how to have a healthy interaction? What you are suggesting is possible in theory only. Do you have any real world examples of that? Americans are the worst example if you are going to say so, gender interaction there is not 'healthy'.
@LifeH2O: In SOME situations and circumstances, yes it's natural (e.g. the bathroom, dressing rooms, school locker rooms, college dorms, etc), but in other everyday situations, gender segregation limits men and women from learning healthy gender interaction. Take the example you gave, it's almost as an insult to men to be honest, as I'm sure a normal healthy-minded adult male knows how to be around women; however, when you have societies that are too segregated, you have men who don't know how to behave around women (as we've seen all over Pakistan) and vice versa.
@nobody Yesterday in NUST (it is not 'Islamic' university) we were stopped from walking on the path which passes in front of girls hostel. Gender segregation is natural.
so so happy to read all mature ,sensible comments above. Live long brothers. I am sure your mothers are living legends.
@LifeH2O: If gender desegregation doesn't help then why are gender segregated countries the poorest in their everyday treatment of women? Desegregation is a must in order to create a healthy environment and expose both genders to one another, teaching them how to interact in a healthy manner. Better education and an open-minded attitude are much bigger and much more necessary long term improvements in reducing harassment. Harassment exists everywhere, but no where near the levels you see in some countries, particularly conservative countries.
@Nayla: Gee, really?? Lucky you. Pointless contribution, stating the utterly obvious.
well that is good initiative but if these 70 million were given to poor people or from these 70million some initiatives were taken for the poor society of our country that would be very much appreciated.
@KaliBilli: "female harassment" can not be ended. It happens all over the world. No gender segregation will not decrease it by any means. They are doing the right thing.
Problems women are likely to face in existing mixed gathering public facilities justify women only parks just like women police stations. Providing female specific public services is in line with Muslim character of the state. This step of Punjab govt contraroy to bulk of its other policies and actions needs appreciation. Actual test though will be to properly maintain and efficiently run these facilities for the real benefit of common man.
What a silly idea ???
Why build 7 feet walks ?? Parks are supposed to build beauty of city , not create ugly compounds from outside ...
Ring rode party (PML-N) is exposed !!!! one again
Really? You need "women only" parks in Pakistan so women don't get harrassed? Geez, that's totally ridiculous! I live in the US, and I take my child to the park all the time, and I walk 2 miles each day from a bus stop to work, and I can't even think of a single time I've ever been harrassed by a man. The men in our societies sure are different....
ok, we have the parks buty I hope this is only temporary for the current generation. What the government should be focussing on and increasing the budget is include a non-religious teaching module from primary schools to college on social morality which teaches respect for females and other issues. At least in a generation's time we will have youngsters who respect women.
Again what are our priorities???? anyone???? Is it parks, laptops? or is it health, education, moral and ethical behavior, tax collection, law and order, terrorism. I am not against giving right and benefits to women of our society but we need to get our priorities straight.
I recall an essay by Khalil Gibran "On Clothes." He wrote what are clothes but a shield from the eye of the unclean. He said let the sun shine on your skin and the wind blow through your hair. This just seems unnecessary.
good move, to bring women out from thier homes to play with thier children and enjoy.
what about other cities of punjab ?? do macho oglers live only in lahore
This news item is a prime example of how India and Pakistan are different! Directions in which both countries have moved in last 65 years are so different that people in both society look same but are so so different!
I mean you wouldn't imagine this in India (or for that matter in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh or even Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam......)
There is a female-only park in Samanabad N-block. The park has been active since more than 20 years! Females from the area and even far-off areas including Defence go there almost everyday! Its not only the responsibility for the women to dress "appropriately"... its also the responsibility of the men to behave! I think its a really good initiative amongst many others that Shahbaz Shareef decided to take now, after 3 years of coalition with the PPP govt. its time to get re-elected.
Despite all this development being in Lahore only, they all started on August 14th 2011 with the launch of the Kalma Chowk Flyover... there was no sign of development before that. I think there should be elections every year... atleast this way they will fear not being elected again and do some work!
better idea would be to keep the existing parks and have separate the timings for women and men. not that i like the segregation idea but a tleast this will save you guys a lot of money and make more parks available to people of all genders
this really makes no sense, why can't we provide a safe environment for women, without isolating them?
nothing wrong in building parks for FAMILY only, people nowadays are habitual of giving negative remarks on everything, grow up & say something positive!. having said this, the allocation of budget by CM has been not that good in Punjab, too much concentration on infrastructure only & the laptop scheme was a total wastage of money. CM please concentrate on education & health sector & build our rural areas by providing them better opportunities in agro/dairy businesses, these measures will boost our economy & will have a positive impact on the society.
Excellent step!!! Took us 65 years to realize this thoug? but better late then never. Well done!
Everything in Lahore and for Lahore... other 90 millions living in Punjab don't deserve a life?
a waste of Rs 70 million!!!!!!!
As others have pointed this is like accepting and even strengthening the existing norms instead of solving the real problem.
A better and cheaper alternative perhaps would be to have sentries and fines at parks for bothering women. And also perhaps a sensitization campaign at parks asking men to be polite and respectful. Both men and women should be encouraged to complain if they see bad behavior. I think most men would respond well except for a few.
We have to stop thinking that men are wild animals. It is just a matter of exposure and awareness as we see in other countries where men don't even bother women at beaches etc.
never heard of such concept.
sexism
That proves that our males can't be tamed to be civilized ...
What is scary is that the CM of the province with 60% of PAkistani population and brother of the man who has been PM of the country twice - actually thinks this is a GOOD thing. Instead of investing in social change programs to change gender sterotypes, he is actually reinforcing them. Amazing!
Instead of improving law & order, we opt for segregation. Brilliant.
Women need not be isolated from men in society. This only proves how much Pakistani society has regressed.
Nonsense
That's great, let's build high walls, let's hide away the women. Cut let's not address the issue of female harassment. What next? Female only shopping centres, female only footpaths. Wouldn't it just be easier to lock up up in our houses and throw away the keys.
Pakistan doesn't need more women's only parks she needs tougher laws on eve teasing. And a government and judiciary with the guts to prosecute the sickos who make life difficult for women.
Well done Shahbaz Sharif...